To make the mincemeat, heat the brandy with the orange zest and juice in a small pan. Pour over the dried fruit in a large mixing bowl and leave for a couple of hours so the fruit can absorb the liquid.

Meanwhile make the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter and lard with your fingertips until you have a crumble-like mixture. Stir in the caster sugar then ddd the egg yolks and mix in quickly with a flat-bladed knife. Mix in enough cold water, a little at a time, to bind the mixture into a dough. Turn out onto a floured work surface. Bring together and knead briefly until smooth, then shape into a disc. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 15 minutes before using.

Heat the oven to 100°C/gas ¼. Mix all the remaining ingredients for the mincemeat into the fruit mixture, then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Cover the dish and place in the heated oven to cook, stirring regularly, for one to two hours until all the suet has melted and is coating the fruit. Spoon the mincemeat into sterilised jars, seal and leave to cool.

When youre ready to make the mince pies, heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured worktop to the thickness of a 20 pence coin. With an eight centimetre fluted cutter, cut out 24 rounds and use to line two 12-hole mince pie tins. Dollop a heaped teaspoon of mincemeat into each case.

Re-roll the trimmings, then cut out 24 lids using a seven centimetre fluted cutter. Brush the edges of the mince pie cases with milk and put the lids in place. Use your fingers to gently press the edges together to seal.

Brush the pastry lids with milk and pierce a hole in the top of each one. Place in the heated oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Remove the pies from the tin, sprinkle with caster sugar and serve warm. These mince pies will freeze brilliantly  freeze them uncooked, in their tins, until solid, then keep in a freezer bag; when you want them, pop back in the tins and bake from frozen. The Great British Bake Off Winter Kitchen

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